Sacrifice
by Darkl26139
Summary: When the world is about to end what would you do to protect your friends? Willow focused story. Sort of sequel to Lord of Draggons. Same character relationships: Buffy/Willow
1. Chapter 1

**Sacrifice**

Part I

She comes too with pain filling her. She looks down at her chest and sees branches jutting thru her. That last blast wave must have thrown her into a tree. Struggling to look around she sees Xander. He is wandering the battlefield drunkenly. She knows with the amount of blood pumping from his severed arm, he won't live much longer. She counts that a small blessing since his ruined face could never be restored. She chooses to believe he is still trying to fight rather than just stumbling aimlessly. Next she locates Buffy. She has dragged her broken body to where Dawn lies and is covering Dawn's face so she cannot see what is coming for them. It looks like she is whispering comforting words to Dawn. This breaks her heart because Buffy cannot see that Dawn is already dead. A clash of blades draws he attention. Faith is still fighting. She has acquired one of their swords and is trading blows with three of them. Faith fights well but it is not enough. She closes her eyes so as to not to see Faith cut down but she has no way to block out Faith's screams. The slayers made a good stand but really they knew they couldn't win.

Willow wakes with a start. She feels a weight on her and fights a moment of panic before realizing it is just her lover's arm. She adjusts her self to slide more into her lover's sleeping embrace. Her mind races while trying to cope with her dream. She has been a witch long enough to know it was no ordinary dream. This was a foretelling.

She spends the rest of the night trying to figure out what to do. Just before dawn an idea occurs to her.

The next morning after Buffy has left Willow heads to the research department. They tell her they don't have the book she is looking for but they think Giles has a copy in the Watcher's Archive. Willow is glad they are so young. They have no idea what the book she seeks holds.

She takes one of the cars to the Watcher's Archive. She is not surprised to see Giles waiting for her in the main hall. She knew Giles would have had the research staff alert him if anyone asked for certain books. She hopes she won't have to hurt him too badly.

Giles faces her to say "You can't have the book. It is too dangerous. No matter what you saw. You can't risk it. I won't let you."

"You taught me that all magic has a price. I have to pay this one. I have to do this." Willow replies.

"This is no minor magic! Even if you succeed, you may doom us all. You remember what happened last time someone tried this. Are you saying you can match their power?" Giles replies in his teacher knows best voice.

"You don't understand. You didn't see. But maybe you should." she fires back. She grabs his arm and shows him her vision. The sheer horror of it is more than he is prepared for. He collapses into a chair staring blankly at the wall. His mind still trapped in her vision. She hates herself for doing that to Giles but now he might understand. Besides she couldn't let him stop her.

It takes her an hour to break the wards but in the end the book is hers. She kisses the still unconscious Giles on the forehead and teleports to her next stop.

She appears just outside the main doors. It is a bright sunny day in LA and she takes a brief moment to enjoy it. England is always so gloomy. She misses the California sun. Unable to spare more time, she heads into the building.

The lobby of Wolfram & Hart is not as impressive as she expected but she can feel the evil surrounding her. A pleasant blond one appears at her side.

"Hi. I am Lilah. What brings the famous Willow Rosenberg to our humble law firm." she inquires.

"I want the book." Willow replies not wanting to spend one minute more than necessary here. She can feel the evil of this place calling to her darkself.

"We have many books. You" Lilah tries to reply pleasantly but Willow traps her in a spell cage.

Willow glares at her and states "They may own your soul but I can still play with it. Now let's cut the small talk and get me the book."

Ignoring the cage, Lilah asks "Why should we help you? What is in it for us? Thanks to your spell there are slayers everywhere. Evil is definitely on the run."

A dark smile crosses Willow's lips as she replies "Which is why business has been so good for you. With so many slayers out there, more beings have had to turn to you to survive. More souls have exchanged hands since my spell than since the beginning of time. Now, we both know the longer I stand here, the more likely I could slip. If that happens, hell will seem like paradise compared to this lobby."

Lilah didn't think she could still feel fear in her current state but this Willow frightens her. She knows Willow has the power to back up her threats and must be very desperate to be here asking for the book. Mentally consulting with her bosses a decision is made. "Right this way" Lilah tells Willow.

Deep in the heart of the Wolfram & Hart building, Lilah leads Willow past the zombie guards, thru extra-dimensional hallway, thru layer upon layer of wards, past all the conventional lasers, spike traps, and even a dragon to reach one small room. The door to this room is covered in runes which move as if alive. Lilah stops to ask "Are you sure?"

"Just get on with it" Willow snaps.

Lilah speaks a word of power from a language that was lost before the time of dinosaurs. The ancient door opens and reveals an unimpressive book. Willow picks up the book and places it in her bag.

Lilah raises her eyebrow but makes no comment. She does not like the idea of that book in circulation but the senior partners get what they want. She takes Willow back to the Lobby. There she wishes her well and watches her walk out.

With both books in her possession, Willow is confident that she can pull this off. She teleports to her private sanctuary to read.

After several hours of comparing the notes of the deceased senior partner with the ancient text of Merlin, she is able to confirm her theory. The price is high but she will gladly pay it to save her friends. The summoning ritual is surprisingly simple. It doesn't even require a special time of day. Aware that a binding circle will just be seen as an insult she decides to use an unorthodox place to perform her summoning. She teleports to Tara's gravesite. This way if it goes wrong she can lie here next to her. She does love Buffy but Tara will always be her greatest love. If she must spend eternity next to someone, she wants it to be Tara.

Saying the simple incantation, Willow draws the power necessary. Her whole body is on fire but pain is the easy part of this spell. The pain is to ensure only the truly serious could summon him. With a flash, he appears. He hovers above the ground held up by the slow beat of his great wings. Now the hard part: the bargain.

In voice like thunder The Lord of Dragons declares "I must say I am surprised and impressed Willow Rosenberg. The few beings to have met me and survived before would never dare summon me."

"I suspect you know why I summoned you." Willow replies.

"Judgment Day must come sometime. The best I can do it is delay its arrival a few more centuries" The Lord of Dragons informs her.

"It is long enough for my friends to have found their peace. Everything they have endured, that is the least they deserve. Now tell me your price." Willow responds.

"As you wish. My price is simple: You. You will be mine in everyway I require. This is not simply your soul that others settle for. You must give yourself to me fully and freely for all time. I will accept nothing less." The Lord of Dragons states.

"Done" Willow says without an ounce of hesitation.


	2. Chapter 2

Part II

"You may regret such rash action." The Lord of Dragons warns.

"It is a small price to pay for my friends." Willow says honestly.

"They come tomorrow. You have that long to make your peace. I will come for you when it is time." The Lord of Dragons says as he fades away.

'It is done.' Willow thinks as her relief releases all the tension in her body. Her friends will be safe. With her weight lifted, she heads back home.

Buffy is training when Willow walks back in. Buffy is pleasantly surprised to see her. Willow walks right into the middle of Buffy's routine forcing Buffy to pull her punch to avoid hitting Willow. When Willow places her hands on either side of Buffy's head and kisses her passionately, Buffy is caught completely off guard. Willow is not normally so aggressive, so fierce. Buffy likes it so she offers no resistance when Willow drags her back to their room. Willow pushes Buffy onto their bed and makes love to Buffy like she never has before. The beauty of the experience leaves tears of joy in Buffy's eyes. She didn't know it was possible to be loved like that. It brings a moment of pain as well because Buffy knows she can never return the depth of Willow's love. Overwhelmed, Buffy curls up in Willow's arms and falls asleep.

Willow feels wonderful at finally not holding back anymore. She always held back not wanting to Buffy to feel inadequate. She knows Buffy just isn't capable of that depth of feeling. It is another price she pays for being the slayer. Now it doesn't matter. Willow intends to show those she loves the full extent of her love in the time she has left.

Adding a bit of magic to ensure Buffy will sleep peacefully for several hours, she slips out of their embrace and gets up to deal with her other friends. No longer concerned about the long term effects of using too much magic, Willow snaps her fingers to change into her favorite outfit. Knowing who she needs to see first she then teleports back to the Watcher's archive.

As she hoped, Giles has recovered. He sits in a large back chair nursing a brandy. He looks at her with sadness in his eyes. That look nearly breaks her. "It is done." she tells him.

"I know. Every physic we know felt it. As soon as word spread demons starting fleeing this world. I hope you are right Willow." Giles says and then downs the rest of his drink. He with a shaking hand he grabs the bottle and pours another.

"It will be ok Giles. I will meet his price. Everyone will get to grow old." Willow tells him.

His sad eyes meet hers as he inquires "What about you Willow?"

"It is worth it." she replies. She would do anything for her friends.

"We could have found another way. You didn't have to" Giles tries to say.

"I did. My vision showed me nothing we could do would be enough. There is only one being able to kill beings on that power scale and you know it. I am sorry for earlier. I couldn't let you stop me." Willow explains. She tries to approach Giles but he withdraws deeper into his chair.

"I know you did what you felt you had to but I can't approve. It was reckless. I am sorry Willow. Please leave." Giles forces himself to tell her. He wishes he could thank her for her sacrifice but it not just her life at stake. The world is on the line. Giles doesn't think even The Lord of Dragons can defeat the forces of Heaven. He doesn't even know if they should try to stop Judgment Day. Won't only the evil be punished? Why would the slayers resist the coming of angels? Willow's vision does not make sense. It is a mystery more complex than this simple Watcher can solve.

Willow is staggered by Giles' words. She wants to say he is wrong but she knows better. What she has done was reckless but it makes it no less necessary. She knows it was her only choice. She hoped he would understand. She showed him what would happen but he refuses to accept the truth of it. She understands and forgives him.

"I will always think of you as my friend, my teacher, and a second father." she says.

In a flash, she is gone. Her words still echoing in his ears. Giles throws his glass against the far wall. The shattering glass an expression of his frustration. "Why couldn't you forget about the world for a minute and just say you think of her as a daughter? Stubborn old fool.' Giles chides himself.

Xander does not jump when Willow appears next to him. She is impressed by the man he has become. Fighting to keep tears from her eyes, she gives him her best smile.

Xander's heart stops when Willow appears next to him but he has learned not to show such feelings. To help his recovery, he calmly says "Hi Will. What's on your mind? You know its past your bedtime."

She hugs him as she tells him "I love you Xander. You are the best friend any one could ever ask for."

"Does this mean you will finally let me watch?" he jokes. Inside he is very concerned. He saw the pain in her eyes and he noticed she has been up to something. Her display of feelings now only confirms his worst fears. Willow is in deep trouble.

She playfully smacks him in the arm. "Thank you for being you, Xander." she says before hugging him again.

"You can always talk to me you know that." he replies in a more serious tone.

'Damn, he noticed something. Of course he did. He is not an idiot' Willow thinks. Out loud she says "I know that."

"Well?" he responds

"Don't worry Xander. Everything is fine. I realized I don't let you know how I feel often enough. You can blame that Cosmo magazine that Dawn made me read." she reassures him adding her best light laugh.

Anyone else would have bought her lie but Xander has known Willow longer than he has known himself. He knows she is lying. Not sure what to do about it, he decides to let it go for now. When he compares notes with Buffy and Giles then a plan can be made. To her he replies "Those mags will bring about the apocalypse one of these days. Want to watch the midnight movie?"

"That would be nice but I have a ton of things to take care of. You know witch's work is never done." she says with a smile. Just before Willow teleports she casts a spell to befuddle Xander. She does want any of her friends to interfere with what she has to do. What she fails to notice is that her spell is not able to grab hold of Xander. Some how he is immune to it.

"Ok Talk to you later then." Xander replies. When she disappears in a puff of smoke, he calls Giles. When Giles doesn't answer, Xander goes to look for Buffy.

He sees her asleep in their bed. She looks like an angel. He can't bring himself to disturb her so he goes to find Faith.

The girls tell him Faith has gone out boy hunting. They give him directions to the club she was headed for. It is a new place about an hour away. The club is easy for him to find. The line to get in is around the corner. The old Xander would never have gotten in. This Xander just walks to the front and lifts the red velvet rope to let himself in. The bouncers move to stop him but he freezes them with a look. His eye shows he has seen and dealt with far worse than they. His gaze forces the bouncers to take a step back. He nods to them as he enters the club.

Inside Faith is easy to find. She is in the center of the dance floor surrounded by guys. She is moving in the hypnotizing rhythm that only a slayer can. These poor boys don't have a chance against her animal charm. Xander is surprised a fight hasn't broken out by the way the men all push and shove to be close to her.

Not wanting to waste time, he walks right thru them. A few snap angrily at him but his gaze is enough to drive them back. Faith smiles when she sees him. She wraps her arms around him and announces "Looks like he is taking me home town boys. Sorry maybe next time." With her arm still around him, she guides him outside.

When outside she turns so she is facing him and asks "How bad? It must be major to interrupt my night off."

"Something is up with Willow. She is acting strange. I have a bad feeling about this. Also, she was using magic awfully freely." Xander informs her.

"You think she is addicted again? I didn't think anything of it at the time but I ran into her at the club a little while ago. She was all mushy. I thought she was drunk. She said she was leaving so I didn't interfere. I mean a person is allowed to blow off steam once in awhile you know." Faith asks with concern growing in her voice. 'Great, you screwed up again. If you weren't so focused on scratching your itch you would have noticed Will was off.' she berates herself.

"I think it is worse than that. She was acting like it didn't matter. I think she is preparing to die." Xander states.

"Don't worry we will find her. What did Buffy and Giles think?" Faith inquires.

"Buffy was sleeping and I just couldn't bring myself to disturb her. Hmm, why didn't I wake her? Buffy would totally want to know. Do you think Willow magiced Buffy to keep her out of the way? Oh and she probably did the same thing to Giles! That is why he isn't answering his phone. Come on we have to get back to headquarters." Xander says while running to his car. Once Faith to jumps in, he floors it.

On the drive he calls one of the girls stationed near the Watcher's Archive to go check on Giles. He instructs her to bring him back to base.

By the time, Xander gets back to the base the sun is rising. This throws Xander because it wasn't that late when he left the city. He suspects Willow cast a spell at the club. Willow is pulling out all the stops to keep her friends out of the way of whatever is going on. If he hadn't interrupted her who knows how long Faith would have stayed there with no idea time was being distorted. 'Why didn't she put a spell on him?' he wonders.

Xander heads straight for Buffy and Willow's room. He is relieved to see Buffy is wake but sadden to hear her crying softly. She is sitting half covered by the blankets with her head in her hands. She looks at him not bothering to cover her naked torso and with sad eyes says "Willow is leaving."

The old Xander would have been too busy staring at her beautiful body to think much less act but this Xander only sees his friend in pain. He walks over, sits down beside her and says "I know but don't worry we will save her."

Xander is so confident that Buffy can believe him. Drawing on his strength, she pulls herself together. She says "Hell yah. We destroyed a hellmouth and beat a god. We can save Willow from this too."

Faith knocks on the door. She announces "She is here with Giles. He don't look so good. He really tied one on. She didn't sense any magic on him though. The coven is checking him over and sobering him up."

"Thanks Faith" Xander says over his shoulder. To Buffy he says "Get dressed we have to go save your girlfriend."


	3. Chapter 3

Part III

Willow is tired. Using so much magic has been draining but it doesn't matter. She talked to everyone. She has been all over the world in a single night. 'Just like Santa' she laughs to herself. Having talked to everyone she wished to, she has decided to watch the sun rise at the place it all started. The crater that was Sunnyville is now a lake. Some developer turned it into a resort. She laughs to herself at the image of demons sunning themselves while drinking those pink umbrella drinks. She doesn't need her magic to feel his coming.

The air ripples and then splits as The Lord of Dragons steps thru. He extends a clawed hand and says "It is time."

Having accepted her fate, Willow doesn't hesitate to take his hand.

When The Lord of Dragons confronts the Archangel Gabriel, it is a bit of a let down. They stare at each other for a few minutes before The Lord of Dragons says simply "Not this day." With just those words, the Archangel Gabriel and his army of angels return to Heaven. Willow expected at least some sort of battle. They could have at least argued a bit. While the confrontation was a disappointment, she is still pleased that her friends will be ok. They will get to grow old. That is all that matters.

The Lord of Dragons takes her to his castle in his dimension. It is a strange mix of medieval and high tech. She is very surprised to see so much technology in his home. He has televisions, computers, and even the latest Ipod. Sensing her confusion, he explains "Those who do not learn and adapt will die. I study all things. It is part of the reason I accepted your summons. You walk in the world of magic and the world of technology. You can teach me much about these things. First we must make some changes so you can be of use to me."

With his last words, she notices her skin has blistered. That strange odor she noticed when she arrived she assumed had to do with this place. She did not realize it was coming from her as her skin literally cooked. She realizes her magic instinctively protected her from the worst of the intense heat of this place but her magic is not strong enough to do so for much longer.

"This will hurt" he tells her before he surrounds her with energy. She would scream but doesn't because screaming isn't enough to express the amount of pain engulfing her. She sees her skin ripple. Shapes move beneath her skin but she pays them no mind. When it is over, she still looks human but her features have been improved to the point of perfection. She can still recognize her distinctly Willow features but they are enhanced. Her new beauty is terrifying in its perfection. Men would glad die for just one of her smiles. This was some thing she did not expect. Under the skin there have been changes as well. Power courses thru every vein. Her magic is stronger than ever before. She is one with her magic. He has remade her as a goddess but why? He did not need to do all this just to ensure she could survive in his realm.

Reading her thoughts, he answers "You are of more use to me this way."

The next few centuries are not too bad. The Lord of Dragons is a fair master. They spend years discussing topics. She teaches him what she knows about technology and he even encourages her to learn more. He allows her to explore his realm. It is a wondrous place which she enjoys exploring.

While her friends were alive, he allowed her to watch them. She takes comfort in watching them grow old.

She laughs at Xander marring Dawn of all people. She didn't see that one coming. The day he told Buffy that he and Dawn had been dating, Xander was so nervous he reverted to his high school self. Willow laughed for hours at that. When Xander dies at 83, Dawn follows him within the year. It is too bad they were never able to have children of their own but the slayers were their family.

Faith never settles down which is no surprise. She does find peace in caring for and leading the other slayers. She is happy which makes Willow smile.

She was glad to see that Buffy was able to move on after she left. Also, she admits to herself, she is glad it took Buffy a year to get over her. Her and Spike seem to finally have a real relationship. It hurt to watch her die. Sensing she might try to interfere, The Lord of Dragons robbed her of her power that day. At least she died fighting. Willow knows that is how a slayer is supposed to die.

The only one that pains her is Giles. He never gets over what happened. He tries several times to summon her but each time he fails. He never suspects all the little accidents that foil his attempts are her protecting him. She knows she would be forced to destroy him if he ever succeeded and that is something she knows she could not face. She is touched by Giles' efforts but knows he could not pay the price she has no matter how much he may wish too. Eventually his drinking catches up with him and Xander has to remove him from his position. Giles spends the rest of his days drinking himself blind in a shabby apartment in London. Willow carries a great deal of guilt about Giles' fate but consoles herself that her other friends were ok.

They never speak about it but she thinks in his own demon way The Lord of Dragons cares for her. He treats her perhaps not as a full equal but certainly not a pet or possession. She is content with her life and the price she paid.

However, her existence is not all fun and games. He remade her to be his avatar. When someone tries to summon him, it is her they get. She is the one they must bargain with. She is the one who destroys them when they fail to meet the price. Whereas she hates the killing, she takes comfort in that all who summon her have shown themselves to be evil. Part of her power lets her see their whole lives. Seeing their crimes makes it much easier to punish them for daring to summon her. She is amused to find the legends have added her. She even has a small group of fools who worship her.

One day she feels the tug of a summoning. Answering the call, she appears in a bedroom. A child's bedroom she is alarmed to see. An 8 year old boy is standing there facing her with tears still in his eyes.

Her power shows her his life. She stands by him as he watches the monsters break down their door. She watches as his father torn in half and then his mother brutally beaten to death. She feels his terror and shame at only being able to hide under the stairs. She sees the stranger come to fight the monsters. Willow recognizes the stranger as a slayer but doesn't know her personally. Everyone she knew has been dead for centuries. During the fight one of the monsters loses a book. The book bounces and lands at the boy's feet. She hears the monsters roar of triumph as they bring the slayer down. Her blood sprays across the walls driving the boy even deeper under the stairs. When the monsters have gone, the boy crawls out with the book in his hand. Numbly, he walks up to his room. He sits and stares at the strange symbols on the book. He is amazed when they reform into words he knows. The book promises him revenge on the monsters. It tells him what to do. In his pain and anger, the boy does these things.

"Can you get the monster for me" he asks her.


	4. Chapter 4

Part IV

Her heart breaks at the scene before her. She will not condemn a boy to her fate and she will certainly not kill him. She does intend to use her power to help him in another way. She starts to turn back the clock when The Lord of Dragons appears.

"This is not your purpose. Make the bargain or destroy him." he demands.

"He is a child. I won't hurt him but I will help him." she declares.

"If you do this, our bargain is broken. Your friends will suffer the fate you envisioned. Judgment Day will come and this boy will never have been born. The world will cease to exist. Are you truly prepared to sacrifice all that to help this child?" he exclaims angrily.

"If I don't help him then what is the point. My friends would gladly trade their lives for his. I can do no less. The life this child is worth it." she fires back.

The Lord of Dragons does something unexpected. He claps.

Confused, she is then blinded by a bright light. She finds herself back on the day The Lord of Dragons faced the Archangel Gabriel. The Lord of Dragons says "She has proven her worth."

"Of that there can be no doubt" the Archangel replies. "You have saved the world with your sacrifice Willow Rosenberg. You have proven man deserves to be allowed to continue on Earth. You have given hope to angels. No small feat." he tells her. With those final words, he and the army of heaven take their leave.

Finding herself on the street outside Wolfram & Hart in LA, Willow faces The Lord of Dragons to ask "What just happened? Was any of that real?"

"You view of reality is too limited for me to fully explain. Needless to say Judgment Day has been postponed as promised. I have fulfilled my part of the bargain. Are you prepared to fulfill yours?" he inquires.

"This was all a test by Heaven?" Willow asks still trying to figure out what happened.

Sighing The Lord of Dragons explains "Heaven did not test you. I did. When you passed I used it to prove that Judgment Day should wait. Heaven agreed. Without my intervention, Heaven would have just unleashed Judgment Day and your friends would have died as you witnessed trying to prevent it. Now, will you honor your side of the bargain?"

"Of course. I knew what I was doing when I made the bargain. Just remember I won't harm the innocent." she replies. She has already seen what her life will be and she is ok with it. It is a small price to pay.

The Lord of Dragon places a claw on her shoulder and teleports her to her room. Buffy is still fast asleep in their bed. 'She always looks so beautiful when she sleeps.' thinks happily. "What are we doing here?" she asks.

"You are fulfilling your part of the bargain. Since you are mine, I decide what your fate shall be. I demand that you spend your days here with your friends making this world a better place." He declares.

"Thank you but why. This is not how the bargain usually works." she points out.

"I have lived a very long time and I know how rare people like you and your friends are. Even before you passed my test, your lover Tara convinced me. She was prepared to sacrifice her place in heaven to protect you. I had never seen so many beings willing to sacrifice everything they were to help their loved ones. When I tested you, you sacrificed yourself willingly to save your friends. Then you sacrificed everything including your friends to save a child you didn't even know. The world needs people like you and your friends. Fair well little witch." The Lord of Dragons says to her and then he is simply gone.

Willow is speechless. Before she recovers, he is gone so she can only thank the empty air. Not willing to waste the gift she has been given, she climbs into bed with Buffy. With Buffy's arms wrapped around her she drifts off to sleep.


End file.
